He Had To Start Somewhere
by Celtic-Yugioh-Fangirl
Summary: All numbers had to start somewhere. This is the story of No. 96 Black Mist. Ami's life just got stranger...and she wouldn't have it any other way. Black Mist X OC
1. He Had To Start Somewhere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal!**

* * *

A girl stared at the card in her hand. She read the name aloud, "No.96 Black Mist…?"

She tilted her head. This girl had red eyes and matching red hair. She was 14-years-old and a duelist. She smiled, "Oh well."

The figure on the card seemed to move but she passed it off as her imagination. She was at the park when this card had appeared. She stared at the card for a second before putting it into her extra deck. She didn't use Xyz monsters but she supposed she could keep this one, wherever it came from. She felt a weird vibration. She blinked before she saw something glowing. It was coming from within her deck-box. She was surprised, "What the-"

She didn't finish her sentence because something, or someone, appeared before her. It was the same being from the card! He, she could tell it was a 'he', had a pigmentation of black. Where his eyebrows should've been, there were weird marks. There were other marks on his body but they were green. He had spiked up black hair and two dangling earrings. He was so alien-like to the girl. He had no clothes on but his parts were blurred off by a cloud-like substance.

_'What?!'_ the girl thought. She was half-scared and half-confused.

The being smirked maliciously at her but he could not resist the curiosity that came upon him. His smirk dropped and he looked around like a little kid who was first seeing the world. After scanning everything, he looked back to the girl. He saw the scared look on her face, "What's your name?" he asked with an edge to his voice.

The girl blinked, that wasn't what she was expecting. Nonetheless, she still had some manners. She met the gaze of the being, "My name is Ami."

The being stared at the girl for a while, he was trying to figure out if he should do something or not.

Ami blinked, "And you?"

"And I what?" questioned the being.

Ami noticed that this being's confusion was genuine. She smiled, "What is your name?"

He stared at her but answered, "Black Mist. It's on my card, is it not?"

Ami blinked, she had forgotten. She wasn't even sure how this was even possible. She took out the number card and held it out, "This?" she asked, but she knew the answer.

"You're stupid," said the black being so blatantly, she fell.

She got back up and pouted, "I'm not stupid! I might be crazy though. I mean, you're, I don't know, an alien! How is this even possible?!" She gestured to Black Mist. She held her head, "I'm losing it!" she whined.

"Losing what?" asked Black Mist, tilting his head, "What have you lost? I'll help you find it if you don't lose my card."

She raised an eyebrow, is this guy serious? And she had to keep his card…? Ami looked at his card once more and spoke, "How are you out of your card? That's strange and I don't know why I haven't fainted yet."

The black being closed his eyes. He remembered he had a mission, he was a piece, but…he reopened his eyes. "You're the bearer of my card," he answered plainly.

Ami tilted her head, "And…?" These things are supernatural. It was strange.

"It would seem, since you are the bearer of my card, you have the ability to see me," said Black Mist as he looked around.

"What do you mean?" asked Ami confused.

Black Mist looked back to the girl, "Look around, Ami."

She complied and saw that everyone around her…didn't seem to see Black Mist. Some were actually giving her funny looks before going on their way. She didn't like the looks a lot, but she now believed this person. Maybe she had gone crazy but it doesn't matter. She grabbed Black Mist's hand, "Let's go somewhere more private," she spoke.

She dragged him away from the more public section of the park. Black Mist was staring at the hand touching his in confusion. He then looked back to the girl. He thought she was okay. She is his card holder so he has to watch her. So far, she seems all right, to him. He then stared around as he was dragged. He was very intrigued by his surroundings and this girl named Ami.

Ami stopped when they got to a place in the park where there wasn't any people. She sat on a bench and let go of Black Mist's hand. Black Mist was a bit confused and tried touching the bench. Both he and Ami were shocked when his hand went through it. Black Mist stared at his hand and Ami stared there too.

Ami was confused. Hadn't she been holding his hand a minute ago? She held out her hand to try it out, "Black Mist, try touching my hand," she requested.

Black Mist had nothing to lose. He was curious himself. He held his hand out and held the girl's hand tightly. When she winced, he let go. "Is something wrong?" he asked puzzled.

"No," answered Ami as she retracted her hand, "You just held my hand too tightly."

Black Mist stared at Ami's hand. He wanted to learn how to do it properly. Ami noticed and held out her hand, "Want to try again?" she asked.

Black Mist didn't answer but lifted his hand and held hers with less force. Black Mist felt a small swell of pride for himself when he saw that Ami had smiled. He nodded, "Observation #1: When someone smiles, you feel better."

Ami blinked, "Observations?" she asked. She then smiled. It felt nice to make Black Mist feel a little better.

"I need to keep track of this," explained Black Mist, "I've never seen this place before. I need to make sure I won't be caught by surprise."

Ami nodded, "I suppose that makes sense. You are an alien, or something, after all."

"Alien…?" questioned Black Mist curiously.

"An alien is…" Ami thought of a way to explain, "Um, an alien is someone that is not from here. He or she is different, they're unfamiliar to us and it's the same thing to them. You must think I'm an alien, I'm not like you."

Black Mist took that in, "But I'm not an alien. I'm a part of an alien's memory," said Black Mist.

It was Ami's turn to be puzzled, "Pardon?" she asked. She wondered what he meant by 'part of an alien's memory'.

"Would you like me to explain?" asked Black Mist, happy that he had gotten this girl curious.

Ami nodded, "If you'd like to, Black Mist."

Black Mist then started his explanation, "There are ninety-nine number cards. Then, there is the original. His name is…I'm not completely sure, I am not that memory. The original number had come from a different world, the Astral World. When he had arrived, his memory was scattered into ninety-nine pieces. Thus, the ninety-nine number cards. I suppose I should explain the memory I am. I am the memory of a small part of his mission."

Ami was fascinated. She then asked curiously, "And that would be?"

Black Mist closed his eyes before reopening them, "I can't tell you the mission but…it involves your world. The Astral World and your world are…sort of enemies, I suppose you could say. That's all I know."

"Or that's all you can tell me," suggested Ami and she hit the nail on the head. She smiled though, "Thanks for explaining that. But…wouldn't that mean the original is collecting the number cards? Will that mean he will come for you?"

"You see, the only way to collect a number card, is to win a number duel," explained Black Mist, "Only duelists have number cards, of course. And, without a doubt, there are numbers everywhere. You may not face the original but there is a good chance you will duel against another number holder."

Ami looked up at the sky, "That's so much to take in…"

Black Mist followed Ami's gaze and stared at the sky too. He then looked around them. He tugged on the girl's arm. Ami blinked and turned to Black Mist, "What is it?" she asked.

Black Mist glanced around, "I've answered your questions. Can you answer mine?" he asked.

Ami nodded happily, "Of course. What do you want to know?"

"Many things but I should start with this," said Black Mist and Ami stared at him patiently. Black Mist smiled, "Will you be my partner?"

Ami smiled back, "Of course," she answered happily. She held out her right hand, "Shake on it?"

"Shake on what?" questioned Black Mist confused.

Ami giggled, thinking his confusion was cute, in a sense. She used her left hand to take Black Mist's right. She put both Black Mist's right hand and hers in the handshake fashion. She smiled and shook their hands slightly, "This is called a handshake, Black Mist. When you make a deal, this is how you make it official."

Black Mist understood and shook Ami's hand with more force than he should have but Ami didn't mind. Black Mist nodded, "I understand now."

Ami smiled and brought her hand back to her side, Black Mist doing the same. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," said Ami.

"Friendship?" questioned Black Mist.

Ami was going to have to get used to this. She stood up and put her hands behind her back, "It means a bond, Black Mist."

"Then I do think this is the start of our bond," agreed Black Mist.

* * *

**The beginning of this! I know some of you have been asking me to bring this back so now it's back and (hopefully) active.**


	2. The Mark

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal!**

* * *

Ami and Black Mist were just walking around.

"What is that?"

"That's a tree."

"And that?"

"A dog."

"What is that up there?"

"That's the monorail," answered Ami patiently.

"A monorail?" repeated Black Mist, puzzled.

Ami glanced at him while still walking, "A type of transportation. People go on it because it's faster than walking."

Black Mist nodded like he understood. Ami wasn't sure if he did. Ami walked passed a bakery and Black Mist took a whiff of the smell.

Black Mist stopped and stared at the bakery, "What is that smell?"

Ami stopped as well and looked at Black Mist. She noticed the bakery and smiled, "That's fresh bread. This is the bakery. Baker's bake bread here and sell them."

Black Mist smiled, "It smells nice." He then continued forward, flying through the air. Ami rushed after him.

Black Mist flew around before stopping when he lost sight of Ami. He stared around, "Ami?!" he called out. He was a bit scared. How was he supposed to know what things were? And that girl had his card!

Ami herself was looking for Black Mist. She stared around. She had lost sight of him. She was pushed by some people but she was alarmed. Where was Black Mist?

Black Mist flew over the heads of the people. He scanned the crowd, looking for the redhead. He spotted her looking around confused. Ami, seemingly being able to notice, looked up at him. She smiled and Black Mist flew back to her side.

"I thought you got lost," said Ami as Black Mist floated beside her.

Black Mist rolled his eyes before smirking, "You're just slow."

Ami just laughed nervously. She started walking once more. She glanced at the sky, "It's getting late. I need to go home."

Black Mist silently followed her. _'Home…'_ thought Black Mist. That word sounded familiar. Perhaps another number had that memory.

* * *

Ami unlocked her front door and Black Mist flew in. Ami glanced at the boy and closed the door. Black Mist looked around in interest. Ami took her shoes off and padded through the house. She poked her head into the living room, "Mom, you home?" she called out into the home.

Ami received no answer and shrugged, "Guess not."

Black Mist flew into the living room to look around. He suspected that Ami was rather tired because she was yawning. He floated towards the girl, "Are you sleepy?" he questioned.

Ami nodded before asking, "Are you?"

Black Mist smirked, "I don't need rest." Well, he wasn't _completely_ tired_._

Ami took that in. She supposed that it was true. She walked into the kitchen with Black Mist following her. She noticed there was beef soup in the fridge. There was a note on the table. She walked up and held it. She read it quietly to herself.

_Ami, I'll be at work until late so help yourself to anything in the fridge._

_-Mom_

Black Mist came up to her side. He stared at the note incredulously, "What gibberish is this?"

Ami blinked before looking at Black Mist, "You can't read this?" she asked. She glanced at the note before remembering, "Now that I think about it, your number card is in a different language or something. I'm not sure why I was able to read it…"

Black Mist answered her implied question, "Only people with numbers can read the numbers text. I can read the number text because I am a number. Your language though…is confusing."

Ami smiled. Black Mist would never admit that he was the one who was confused. Ami took the beef soup and started boiling it on the stove. Black Mist watched, "What is that?" he questioned.

Ami glanced at him, "Beef soup. It's food."

"Why do you need food?" asked Black Mist as he glanced at the said-item.

Ami explained, "I need food to be energized. I need energy to duel, you know."

Black Mist put his hand on his chin in a thinking manner, "How do you 'use' this food?" he questioned.

Ami glanced at him, "I eat it."

"Eat…?" questioned Black Mist.

"You know, put it in my mouth. Then, it travels down to my stomach," Ami explained as she gestured with her hands. She noticed that the food was already ready so she turned off the stove. She mixed the food with the ladle.

"Do you need to eat often?" asked Black Mist.

"Yeah, you need to at least three times a day," answered Ami and she got herself a bowl.

Black Mist nodded, "Observation #2: Humans must eat food for energy to duel."

Ami poured herself some food and sat down at her dinner table. She used her spoon to eat her food. Black Mist watched her intensely and Ami stopped eating. He blinked, "What's wrong? Don't you need energy?"

Ami looked at Black Mist, "It's hard to eat when someone is staring at you."

Black Mist crossed his arms, "Hmph. If you can duel with people watching you, you can eat with people watching you."

Ami blinked, "Weird thing to compare it to but okay…" She continued eating and tried ignoring Black Mist's staring.

Black Mist scanned the girl. He wondered if she was a good duelist or if he got a bad one on his hands. And he also wondered why he didn't take her over. That's what numbers do, correct?

Black Mist looked up when Ami put her bowl in this metal tub. "What is that?" he questioned.

"A sink," answered Ami and she didn't elaborate. She walked up her stairs to her room. She answered Black Mist when he asked about little things.

"One more thing," said Black Mist as he floated around in Ami's room.

"What is it?" asked Ami, turning around to face him.

He stared determinedly at her. He advanced upon her until his body was barely brushing hers. Ami flushed, "B-Black Mist?" she said nervously. What was he doing?

He stared at something with a scrutinizing look. Suddenly, his hands grabbed Ami's shirt and he ripped it right down the middle. The flimsy white shirt didn't cover her front anymore. Ami's pink bra was shown.

Ami gasped and pushed Black Mist away. She grabbed the sides of her torn shirt and held it over her front. She was blushing a lot, very much resembling a tomato. "B-B-Black Mist!" she shouted in embarrassment. Why would he even do that?!

Black Mist tilted his head slightly, "What's wrong?"

"W-what were you doing?!"

"Below your collarbone."

Ami stared at him, "W-what?"

He was confused. Why was she acting so weird about this? He pointed at her, right below her collarbone, "The mark is there."

Ami was still confused. She walked over to her full-length mirror and, after glancing at Black Mist, opened her ripped shirt slightly to show the top of her chest. She gasped. Glowing brightly below her collarbone was the mark of No.96. In her shock, she let go of her shirt, revealing her front again. She touched the mark lightly, like if she were to touch it, it would break.

Black Mist felt slightly…weird. _'What is this feeling?_' he thought to himself as he looked at the girl's revealed chest. She was wearing some weird, pink…something. It was covering the top part of her chest. And he noticed Ami got very embarrassed- wait. That's how he felt right now. He felt embarrassed? Why though?

Ami, getting her thoughts back together, realized she let go of her shirt. She squeaked, grabbed her black nighty, and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Black Mist tilted his head in puzzlement. _'How strange…'_ he thought. He moved towards the bathroom door. He scanned it before trying to grab the doorknob. When his hand went straight through, he remembered he couldn't touch anything. He instead poked his whole head through the door. He blinked as he watched Ami. She was very much red. "Can humans change their pigmentation on command?" he questioned.

Ami squeaked in surprise. She had just finished changing into her nighty when she heard Black Mist. She turned and saw that his head was through the door. Most people would think that was creepy. Ami thought it was cute! She giggled, "Oh, Black Mist."

He stared at her, "You didn't answer my question, Ami."

She remembered it and shook her head, blush totally dying down, "No, they can't."

"Then how did you suddenly turn red?"

"It's called blushing," said Ami sheepishly, "When you're embarrassed, you turn red."

"Oh…" said Black Mist. He nodded, "Observation #3 Humans blush when embarrassed. I will remember that."

Ami smiled. Then, she remembered the mark on her. She reached her hand up and brushed the place the mark was. It was hidden from view because of her nighty.

"Ami?"

"Yes, Black Mist?"

"Can we duel tomorrow?"

"We?"

"Well, we are partners."

"Yeah, I know. And yes, I think we can duel tomorrow."

* * *

Black Mist watched the girl sleep. He crossed his arms and looked out the window. The light from the moon drizzled in but it didn't seem to bother Ami. He had much to learn about this world. Though, he would much rather learn more about Ami. He glanced back at the sleeping girl. He didn't know what to think of this girl yet. But, perhaps, he could trust her. Yes, he could trust her for now.


	3. School

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal! I do own Ami.**

* * *

Ami woke up in the morning, yawning. She crawled tiredly out of bed before grabbing her green school uniform. She took off her nighty and put on her green skirt. She put on her undershirt before reality crashed in. Her eyes widened as she held her shirt over her front. She frantically looked around for the black being but didn't spot him. She blinked and put on her shirt. She pressed down on it for a second before calling out, "Black Mist…?"

"I am in the hallway," rang the boy's voice.

Ami sighed in relief. She had thought that the same awkward situation from yesterday would happen again. She quickly went to her washroom and did her morning routine. She grabbed her schoolbag and opened her door. The boy was floating there nonchalantly. He glanced at Ami, "Where are you going?" he asked.

The girl walked around him and to the kitchen. She glanced back at him, "_We_ are going to school." Ami went to Heartland Middle School and was a second year.

"What is school?" asked Black Mist.

"It's a place where people learn," said Ami and she opened her fridge.

Black Mist crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Will there be duelists?" he asked.

Ami looked up from the fridge to look at the boy, "Yeah, lots of people duel there. Why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Black Mist lifted his hand and Ami's deck-box opened up. Ami watched in surprise as a card lifted out of it and it went to Black Mist's hand. She was able to identify it as No.96 Black Mist. "I need to collect more numbers to gain more strength," answered Black Mist as he held his card loosely.

Ami closed the fridge and stared at Black Mist. To gain more strength? She was a bit confused about how that could happen but dismissed it.

Suddenly, someone walked into the room. Ami squeaked out of surprise. It was her mom! Ami quickly looked to Black Mist worriedly. What if her mom saw him?!

Black Mist was quite the opposite. He was still flipping his card in his fingers but his gaze was on the newcomer.

Ami's mom looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow, "Is something wrong, Ami? It's like you've seen a ghost."

Ami glanced at Black Mist but remembered that no one else could see him. Well, to her knowledge anyways. Ami looked back to her mom, "It's nothing, mom. You just surprised me, is all."

"Well, all right," said Ami's mama. She walked to the coffeemaker, and started making herself a cup. She was a pretty woman with black hair, which had one long red streak.

Black Mist saw some resemblance. The woman Ami called 'mom' had the same heart-shaped face, sparkling red eyes, and rosy cheeks. Black Mist looked to Ami, "Ami, what is a 'mom'?"

Ami looked at Black Mist surprised, "You don't know?" she asked.

Ami's mom looked at her, "Don't know what, sweetie?"

Ami blinked before blushing. Right, her mom couldn't see Black Mist. Ami rubbed the back of her head before grabbing her schoolbag, "It's nothing, mom. I'm going to school now!"

Ami waved slightly before walking out the door. Black Mist quickly followed suit but took one more look at the lady. She seemed to feel the gaze. Ami's mother shivered before muttering, "It's a bit cold in here."

Ami walked at a bit of a slow pace as Black Mist floated beside her. She looked up at him, "You really don't know what a mother is?"

"You said 'mom'," said Black Mist.

Ami rolled her eyes, "They mean the same thing. Anyway, a mother is…um, she's what made me, I guess. She's my parent, and she loves me. She always takes care of me, like what all moms do."

"What is love?"

Ami blinked and turned to Black Mist, who was currently staring at his card. "Huh?" asked Ami.

"You said that your mother loves you," explained Black Mist, his eyes not leaving his card. "What is love?" he asked once more.

"…Sorry, but I don't know how to explain it," said Ami after a moment. She had stopped walking. How could she explain what love was? It was just something that was…there.

"This 'love' sounds strange yet pleasant," said Black Mist, wanting to know what it meant. He looked at his card before throwing it to Ami. Ami caught it and put it in her deck-box.

She looked up at him, "Love is…love is when you have deep affection for someone…" she spoke softly.

She turned away to look ahead. She could see her school, Heartland Middle School. She started walking once more, not noticing Black Mist gaze.

Black Mist looked at the sky and spoke softly, "Love, huh…?"

"Black Mist, you coming or not?"

Black Mist looked to the girl that was calling him. She was smiling once more and Black Mist felt like smiling back. He did and followed Ami once more.


	4. Main and Side Characters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal**

* * *

Ami walked in the courtyard, waiting for the entry bell to ring. Black Mist stared at the others students with aloofness. If other number holders are there, they will be able to see him. He needed to stay alert.

"Black Mist, you should relax," said Ami, glancing at him.

"Number holders could be anywhere, Ami," he said, crossing his arms.

"I know, but-"

"Ami, someone is running this way."

Just as Black Mist said that, someone shouted, "Ami-chan!" Running over was a boy with short dark blue hair. He had big grey eyes that shined with happiness. He stopped when he was in front of Ami, "Hi, Ami-chan!" he greeted. Black Mist noted he was wearing a green uniform like Ami's.

Ami blinked before smiling, "Hey, Toby. What do you need?"

Toby rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a bit. He smiled nervously, "I just wanted to walk with you to class."

"Oh, all right," said Ami, oblivious to everything.

Black Mist on the other hand felt angry. He glared at Toby. _'Why am I so angry?' _he thought to himself. He did not like this boy one bit. He didn't like how Ami kept smiling at him. He had a weird feeling, but he did not know what it was.

Ami glanced at Black Mist, noticing his silence. "Are you okay, Black Mist?" she asked worriedly.

Black Mist smirked, enjoying being Ami's object of attention. He gave her an eye roll, "I'm fine."

Ami giggled and then the bell rang. Toby started walking, "I guess we should get going," he said, still blushing.

Black Mist narrowed his eyes at that. Why was this boy blushing? That action means being embarrassed, right? Why was he embarrassed? Well, it doesn't matter to him. He didn't like Toby after all.

Ami nodded, "Okay, Toby!" She grabbed Black Mist's hand and started dragging him with her.

Black Mists' smirk grew bigger. He looked at Toby cheekily. He was obviously happy Ami held _his_ hand and not Toby's. He was too busy feeling superior to sense the vibe of a number coming off a passing teacher.

* * *

**Class time!**

"Did you both hear?!"

Black Mist stared at the squawking girl with puzzlement. What a loud human.

"What is it, Kyoko?" questioned Ami, identifying the other girl.

Kyoko was a shoulder-length, purple-haired girl with light, purple eyes. She was taller than Ami but shorter than this Toby.

"Ami, Toby!" shouted Kyoko excitedly. She looked really shocked, "You won't believe it!"

"Believe what?!" Toby shouted, shaking the girl's shoulders. He wasn't the only one getting impatient. Black Mist himself wanted to know.

Kyoko paused dramatically. She then all but yelled, "Ryoga-sama lost a duel!"

Gasps escaped the listeners' mouths. Black Mist just stared in confusion. Ryoga?

"There's no way!" Toby gawked at the news. "Are you lying?!" he asked Kyoko.

Kyoko had a mock-hurt look, "I would never lie about something involving Ryoga-sama!"

Ami sat down limply. Her eyes were wide with had turned so pale that her friends thought she was going to faint. Black Mist floated beside her, "Ami?" he called. She had changed pigmentation again!

"Ryoga-kun…lost?" she managed out with a shaky voice. She knew Kyoko wasn't lying because she wouldn't lie, not about this. And besides, Kyoko was a huge fan girl of his.

"Who is Ryoga?" Black Mist questioned, perplexed. Why was everyone acting so weird?

"Someone as skilled as Ryoga-kun…lost?" Ami whispered, ignoring Black Mist's question.

"How could Shark lose…?" asked Toby, leaning on Ami's desk.

"Shark? I thought you were talking about someone named Ryoga. Why is he talking about a marine animal?" Black Mist inquired. Why would you talk about dueling and then a marine animal?!

Ami seemed to notice Black Mist now. She turned slightly to him and smiled hesitantly, "Shark's just a nickname. Ryoga is his real name."

"Who are you talking to, Ami?" Kyoko asked.

Ami just turned back to her, "Kyoko, who did he lose to?" she ignored Kyoko's question.

Kyoko blinked, "Um-"

"Why do you care so much?"

The four turned to meet a newcomer. Toby straightened up, "What do you want, Haro?" he asked.

Haro just sneered at him. Everyone (except Black Mist) knew him as one of Shark's flunkies. "Just overheard you talking about that loser, Shark."

"Ryoga-sama isn't a loser!" shrieked Kyoko.

Ami put a hand on Kyoko's arm. After Kyoko calmed down, Ami shuffled in her seat, turning her eyes to Haro. "Ryoga-kun isn't a loser, Haro. You yourself were one of his flunk- admirers. You were one of his admirers. I don't know why you think he's a loser, but he isn't." Ami spoke evenly, coldness seeping into her tone.

Black Mist stared in surprise at Ami's indifference.

"Hmph," Haro shrugged. He did seem intimidated though. "Well, even if you don't think that…He lost against a stupid first-year!"

Ami's eyes widened, "A first-year?" she repeated. Her cold attitude disappeared. It was like it wasn't even there.

"…This 'Ryoga' as you call him…lost against a child that is one-years-old?" quizzed Black Mist with a disgusted look.

Ami shook her head at Black Mist. Moving a red bang behind her ear, she explained with an amused look, "First-year. It means a student in seventh grade. There are three grades in Heartland Middle School."

She noticed Toby, Kyoko, and Haro staring at her in confusion. She turned to Haro, "Who was this first-year?" she questioned.

Haro snapped out of his daze, "Uh, that kid…that kid with the catchphrase," he said. He mumbled a few names under his breath, "Yuya…Yuka…Yugi- no, definitely not. Yume…Yuko…Yuki…Yusei- never! Uh…Yuma…Yuma! That's it! His name is Yuma!"

"Yuma…?" Kyoko repeated in confusion.

Ami blinked, "Tsukumo…Yuma…?" she provided.

"Yeah, him," Haro confirmed.

"How?!" Toby and Kyoko asked incredulously.

Ami narrowed her eyes. That kid beat Ryoga? Tsukumo Yuma was a kid with red and dark blue hair. Ami knew him from meeting him at a card shop. That kid might have the courage of a duelist, but he did not have the skill.

Black Mist stared. _'Ryoga, Yuma…?'_ By the sound of it, this Yuma was a bad duelist.

"Why did you want to know?" Haro asked curiously.

Ami laughed dryly, "Ryoga-kun…He's the only one who's ever beat me in a duel."

That piqued Black Mists' interest. He had never seen Ami duel but…with the way she said it, Ami had won all other duels she has been in.

The bell rang and everyone went to their seats. Ami looked at her folded hands silently as Black Mist watched on. _'I can't believe Ryoga-kun lost…' _she thought. She glanced at the empty seat beside her. Shark hadn't shown up for class.

"So, this Shark person is really good at dueling?" Black Mist asked.

"One of the best duelists I know," she mumbled under her breath, making sure no one else could hear.

"And before, when you said he was the only one who beat you, was that true?"

"Yes, it was."

Black Mist continued, "I need to see you duel today, Ami. I want to see your dueling skill."

Ami nodded. If that is what he wishes, then let it be.

* * *

**After school!**

School had finished and students were steadily leaving for home. Ami stood back though, searching for someone.

Black Mist floated alongside her, "Ami, find someone and duel!" he ordered impatiently.

"Yes, sir!" Ami mocked. She also did a salute.

Black Mist tilted his head, "Why did you do that with your hand?"

"You mean a salute?" Ami supplied.

"A salute?" he questioned.

Ami smiled, "Yeah, it symbolizes respect."

Black Mist smirked, "Good, you should have respect for me. I expect more salutes from you in the future."

Ami sweat dropped. He had such a big ego.

She turned once she spotted red and dark-blue hair from the corner of her eye. She smiled once she found her target. "Yuma!" she called out.

Yuma looked up and turned to look over at Ami. His eyes flashed in slight recognition. He walked over with a girl. Ami deducted it was probably one of his friends. "You're…Ami, right?" he asked as he stopped in front of her.

"Yeah, and you're Tsukumo Yuma."

Black Mist stared at the boy with a strange expression. _'It's like I know him…I'm sure I don't though,' _he thought. He also remembered that this was the boy was the one who beat this 'Shark' person Ami talked about.

"And you are?" Ami asked, turning her attention the green-haired girl.

"Oh! My name is Kotori Mizuki," the girl introduced with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Ami nodded her head before looking back to Yuma, "Yuma, I've heard you've beaten Ryoga-kun."

"Ryoga…?" Yuma blinked, not remembering anyone named that.

Ami reiterated, "You probably know him as Shark though."

"Oh, yeah!" Yuma said, pride seeping into his voice. "It was a really tough duel though!"

Ami smiled, remembering her duel with Shark, "Yes, I would think so. Anyways, I'd like to challenge you to a duel." She smirked, taking a step back, "Do you accept?"

Black Mist recorded this into his thoughts. Ami would have weird out-of-character moments. She was a calm and polite. However, Black Mist saw moments where she was cold as ice.

"I never back down from a challenge!" Yuma shouted, pumping his fist in front of him. He smiled, "Let's do this!"

Ami was glad he accepted. She needed to see how in the world he beat Shark. And also, Black Mist wanted to see her duel. It's killing two birds with one stone.

"Yuma, how about Akari-san?" Kotori asked. They were supposed to help her with the Bugman Virus or something.

"She can wait!" Yuma said, already grabbing his gear. Ami followed suit.

"Duel disk, set! D-Gazer, set!"

Ami's black gear attached themselves as augmented reality started itself up.

**A/R vision link established!**

"Duel!"

* * *

**That wraps up this chapter. So, you meet Ami's two friends and now she's dueling Yuma! Oh, Astral's not there because he's in the Emperor's Key. Next chapter: The duel!**


	5. Black Beauty Deck

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal! I own Ami.**

* * *

**I'm really sorry for lack of chapters. But now that summer is here, I'll be sure to update this story frequently. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and for following/favoriting/reviewing. Please enjoy.**

**All bold cards are cards I created.**

* * *

"Duel!"

Black Mist tried looking at Ami's cards but she turned her hand. He glared at her, "Let me see!" he shouted. Ami almost laughed at his whining.

"Nope!" Ami said, a teasing smile on her face. She looked back to Yuma, "You can go first, if you want."

"All right," Yuma said, "My turn, draw!" He drew his sixth card and looked at his hand. "I summon _Gogogo Golem_ in attack position!" Yuma slapped the card onto his D-Pad and a brown golem appeared (Atk: 1800-Lvl: 4). With a boyish grin, Yuma ended his turn, "I end my turn!"

Ami started her turn, "My turn, draw!" Drawing her sixth card, she looked at her hand for a moment. Taking a card, she played it on her D-Pad. "I summon **Black Beauty – Summoner **in attack position!" she exclaimed.

A black being wearing a grey cloak appeared. Her black body looked ceramic, like a perfect statue. Her pale green hair brushed her shoulders as she held a scroll that was longer than her. On it were faded runes. With a blank stare, she stood in front of Ami (Atk: 1000-Lvl: 4).

Black Mist stared at the card, reading its effect. He glanced back at Ami, understanding what she was doing.

Ami took two cards and slid them into their slots. "I place two cards face down, end turn!" she finished.

"Eh? A weaker monster?" Yuma questioned, wondering why she would do that. Grinning, he saw a chance. "My turn, draw!" he proclaimed. He drew a card and immediately placed it onto the field. "I summon _Achacha Archer_!"

A fiery archer appeared on the field with a battle cry, "Achacha!" (Atk: 1200-Lvl: 3)!"

Yuma pointed at Ami, "When Achacha Archer is normal summoned to the field, he can deal 500 points of damage to you!" The archer drew back the string on his bow before letting the fire arrow go flying.

Ami seemed unaffected as the arrow struck her chest.

Yuma laughed but in an innocent way, "Yes! 500 points of…" He looked at her life points. "Hey, how come your life points didn't drop?" he asked, confused.

Ami lifted a monster card. "If I am targeted with effect damage, I can discard **Black beauty – Maid **and have the effect damage reduced to 0." She slipped the card into the graveyard slot.

"Not too bad," Black Mist complimented in the slightest.

Yuma looked on, confidence not shattered. "All right, I attack Black Beauty – Summoner with Gogogo Golem!" The golem rushed to Summoner, hands ready to destroy.

Ami seemed unfazed as the golem got right in front of the monster. With a smile tugging at her lips, she interrupted. "I activate Summoner's effect! If she is attacked, she can summon a monster the same level as hers to take her place. Since Summoner is level 4, I can summon a level 4 monster."

Putting a hand on her deck, a card shuffled to the top. She drew it and placed it on the field. "I summon **Black Beauty – Archer** (Atk: 1500- Lvl: 4)!" Another black being appeared on the field in a graceful circle. She wore a white, long scarf. She had a large bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. She had spiked up pale green hair.

"Why would she summon that?" Kotori questioned, off to the side. Even though she didn't duel, she could see the difference in attack power.

Yuma blinked in puzzlement as well. "Er, I think you need to get your eyes checked because that archer's attack points aren't high enough to defeat Gogogo Golem."

Ami smirked, "My eyes are fine. My skills are the same. For you see, Black Beauty – Archer's effect is that for every 'Black Beauty' monster on the field, Archer gains 500 attack points. Of course, Archer does not count as one but there is more than enough."

Since Black Beauty – Summoner was on the field, Archer gained 500 attack points (Atk: 2000).

"Gah!" shouted Yuma in shock. "Gogogo Golem, st-"

"It's too late! He's already entranced by the Black Beauty's allure," Ami interrupted.

Gogogo Golem attacked Black Beauty – Archer but was struck by an arrow in return. Gogogo Golem was destroyed.

**Ami: 4000LPS**

**Yuma: 3800LPS**

Yuma was pushed back a bit but did not fall. He raised his arm, "All right, Achacha Archer, attack Black Beauty – Summoner!" It's effect couldn't activate twice!

"Trap card, activate!" Ami announced. A card flipped over, showing itself. "I activate **Courier Reclaim**! If a 1000 or lower attack point monster is attacked, the attacking monster's target is switched to its owner!"

Achacha Archer swung to face Yuma, and launched its arrow straight at Yuma. Yuma yelped as he was hit, and fell on his back.

Being that Achacha's attack power was 1200, that was the amount dealt to Yuma's life points.

**Ami: 4000LPS**

**Yuma: 2600LPS**

Yuma hopped back up, and ended his turn, "I end my turn!" _'She's pretty good,'_ he thought to himself.

Ami started up, "Before that happens, my trap card activates. **Deepening Wounds**!" The card flipped up. "Thanks to this card, all battle damage this turn is added once more at the end of either player's turn. I have no damage. You on the other hand had 1400 points of it."

"So, doubling that?!" Yuma cried out in shock.

"An extra 1400 points is dealt to you," Ami explained. Just as the words escaped her mouth, Yuma went flying.

**Ami: 4000LPS**

**Yuma: 1200LPS**

Black Mist stared at the field, noting Ami's moves. His lips twitched until he started smirking. _'A fine duelist. She also has nice cards. I think I will benefit from this human.' _Then he frowned as he looked to Yuma. _'Something about this boy is weird. I can't sense a number from him though.'_

Yuma stood up, "Awesome move!" he complimented. He couldn't see a way he could win now.

Ami smirked back, "Thanks. Though, this turn, you're going down." She drew a card, "My turn, draw!" She continued, shoving a card into her slot. "I activate _Monster Reincarnation_! If I discard one card, I get to summon a monster from my graveyard. Come forth, **Black Beauty – Maid**!"

A black being wearing a maid uniform appeared. Instead of pale green hair, she had maroon-colored hair. She had a small duster in one hand (Atk: 600-Lvl: 1).

'_This turn, Yuma loses. I still don't see how he beat Ryoga-kun…Such a skilled duelist was defeated by this kid? I'm so confused.' _Ami shook such thoughts from her head. _'That's right. I'm dueling right now. I need to focus.'_

Ami started her brigade of attacks. "Black Beauty - Archer gains an additional 500 points from Black Beauty – Maid being on the field (Atk: 2500)! All right, attack Achacha Archer!"

The archers shot at each other but at the last second, Black Beauty – Archer dodged an arrow. Achacha Archer was destroyed with a cry.

Yuma shielded his eyes with his arms but was thrown backwards.

**Ami: 4000LPS**

**Yuma: 0LPS**

**Ami is the winner!**

The A/R dispersed and everyone took their D-Gazers off.

"That was a cool duel," Yuma exclaimed, his hand pumped up.

Ami smiled, but her thoughts drifted. _'He really beat Ryoga-kun? How strange…'_

"Yuma, we have to go now!" Kotori yelled. She turned to Ami with a smile, "Sorry, but we promised to help someone and we're already late."

Ami nodded in understanding, "All right. Bye bye!"

The duo took off and Ami's gaze lingered on their disappearing forms. Black Mist flew to Ami's side. "That _Toma_ isn't a very good duelist. Barely put up a challenge," he snorted.

Ami bit back a laugh, "His name is Yuma."

"Yuma, Toma, same thing. Until he proves himself as a duelist, I see no need to remember his name," Black Mist explained.

"I agree that his skills aren't that great," Ami said, turning to look at Black Mist. "Which is why I'm so confused as to how he beat Ryoga-kun."

"Maybe this 'Ryoga' isn't that good," Black Mist suggested.

Ami shook her head, "He is. You just haven't seen him duel."

Black Mist stared at Ami and smirked, "Speaking of, your dueling is quite clever. All those tactics were used in a fast and clean way. I like that."

Ami smiled, her cheeks stained pink at the flattery. "Thanks."

"I approve of you as a partner now," Black Mist added.

Ami raised an eyebrow, "And who says I approve of you?" she asked playfully.

Black Mist blinked before growling, "I could beat you in a duel!"

But Ami had already started walking away, pretending she didn't hear him. "I wonder what's for dinner tonight…"

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Hm…"

"HEY!"

* * *

**"A ghost?"**

**"We should stay at school and see if the rumors about it are true!"**

**"Ami, why are you shaking? And what is a ghost?"**

**Next time on HHTSS: Ghost frenzy!**


	6. Ghost Frenzy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal. I do however own Ami, Kyoko, and Toby.**

* * *

"Ami?"

"Yes, Black Mist?" Ami asked, eyes not leaving her paper.

"Are you done yet?" the boy asked with a bored tone.

Ami sighed before finally looking at Black Mist, "That's the sixth time you've asked." All she had wanted to do was finish her homework in peace.

Black Mist questioned, "So, _are_ you done?" Usually he would have more patience but Ami had already ignored him before and he wasn't about to be ignored again.

Ami put her paper in a folder, "I'm finished my essay. I still have to do my math though."

Black Mist inwardly groaned at more godforsaken 'homework' but perked up once he heard it was something he was familiar with.

Ami, at seeing this, was amused. With one look at her language homework, Black Mist floated off in a different direction. One thing they both questioned was his ability to read Duel Monster cards.

Deciding not to think too hard on it, Ami took out her math homework. Black Mist looked over her shoulder, "What is the focus?" he asked, wanting to relieve himself of boredom.

"Just some algebra…" Ami answered, already grabbing her pencil.

Black Mist read the first question before saying, "4015."

Ami blinked and looked up, "Pardon?"

"The answer for question one is 4015," Black Mist rephrased and Ami looked at the question. After a moment of assessing the equation, Ami turned to him, "Wow, you're fast!"

Black Mist smirked, "Well, it is simple."

Ami rolled her eyes at him before continuing on. The work didn't take very long to finish because of Black Mist. After that, Ami stretched her arms out, with a small sigh.

Black Mists' eyes shone, "Are you done _now_?" he asked hopefully.

Ami saw his expression and smiled, "Yeah, I'm done."

"FINALLY!" Black Mist cheered, a grin adorning his face. Ami just laughed, none of the two noticing as a Bugman hologram appeared in the sky.

(That was a reference to episode 4 by the way.)

* * *

Black Mist stared at Ami's 'alarm clock' before looking away. He had been staring at the contraption since Ami fell asleep (10:00). Now it was 12:00. Of course, Black Mist _could _sleep but he felt uncomfortable. _'Strange…_' he thought once more. He was sitting down, leaning on the end of Ami's bed. There was nothing to do and he was tired. He sighed in exasperation.

He heard a rustling sound and sat up straighter, senses more alert. He relaxed once he heard the sleepy voice of his partner, "Buraku Misuto?" (Black Mist?)

He looked up to see tired red eyes staring at him. "Hm?" he questioned.

"Why are you still awake?" she rubbed her eyes sleepily. Black Mist softened at the cute gesture. He kept quiet though, not wanting to give her the real reason.

Ami noticed the silence and stepped off the bed, but in her sleepy state, she tripped and fell…

…right into Black Mist's lap. He stared at her before helping her sit up, "You're such a clutz-"

"You're so cold!"

Black Mist blinked at her. Ami stayed silent for a moment, remembering her mom was in the other room. After she was sure she didn't awake, she looked at Black Mist worriedly, "You're really cold."

Again, confusion stained Black Mist's face. "Cold?" he repeated.

Ami reached over and touched one of Black Mist's cheeks. How could someone feel so cold?! She placed her other hand on the other cheek, making Black Mist look at her face. "Don't you feel cold?" she asked, worry in her tone.

Black Mist felt the warmth of Ami's hand on his face and felt a little better. Piecing things together, he realized the only reason he couldn't sleep was because he was cold, which was why he was uncomfortable. He shivered involuntarily. He was fine during the day but during the night, it was colder.

"You _are_ cold!" Ami said in a scolding tone. She made sure she was quiet though.

Black Mist hissed and turned his head, wanting to keep his pride. "No, I am not."

"Stop being stubborn, Black Mist," Ami spoke softly.

Black Mist didn't answer. After a few moments of silence, he cracked, "Maybe a little." He froze when he felt arms wrap around him. Turning himself, he stared wide-eyed at Ami.

Ami smiled and pressed herself to Black Mist, arms wrapping around him in a hug. Closing her eyes, she whispered, "You should've told me." She felt bad for not noticing the night before.

Black Mist couldn't comprehend what she was doing. But…he smiled slightly, she was warm. He hesitantly and sloppily wrapped his arms around Ami as well. Remembering the incident with the handshake, he didn't hold her too tight.

"You're warm…" he whispered. Ami held him a little closer. "Such warmth…"

To hell with holding her too tight, he still felt cold! He tightly brought Ami closer to him.

They both stayed in that position until Ami's head started lolling to the side. She shook her head and stayed awake. Black Mist noticed this and reluctantly let go, "You should go to sleep."

Ami stood up sleepily and walked over to her bed. She fell face-first onto the pillows, eyes about to close. "Black Mist, lie down beside me…" her voice sounded muffled.

Black Mist floated over and sat on the bed hesitantly. Though he could go through anything, he found he could sit on the bed without falling straight through. He glanced at Ami would had succumbed to sleep. He looked at what Ami called a 'blanket' and tucked her in. Ami smiled in her sleep, making Black Mist happy to help.

He looked at the blanket, then to Ami. She wouldn't mind if he slept beside her, right? She _had_ asked him to lie down beside her…He weighed his options: sit on the bed, feeling cold or be able to sleep by lying down under the warm blanket…

It wasn't a hard decision. He tentatively slipped under the blanket and basked in its warmth. He gazed at Ami before moving a bit away from her. He didn't want to push his luck. Turning, he faced the alarm clock. His eyes closed and he was about to drift off to sleep.

But then Ami rolled over in her sleep. Black Mist's eyes opened and he turned over…

…to face Ami. Black Mist could feel warmth radiating off of her and sort of felt cold. He sighed inaudibly, and then wrapped his arms around Ami's waist. He hoped Ami wouldn't get mad at him for doing so. He was being lulled to sleep by Ami's warmth. Not being able to keep his eyes open anymore, he fell asleep.

* * *

Ami woke up once the sun drizzled in through her curtains. She glanced at the time, and decided to get up. But then she felt something – or someone – holding her down. She blinked and moved the blanket off herself to reveal a very adorable sight.

Black Mist had his arms around Ami's waist and his head was snuggled on Ami's stomach. A peaceful and content look adorned his features and Ami suppressed the urge to 'awwwww!' _'He looks like a kid…'_ Ami then realized Black Mist didn't look much older than herself. But the way he held himself made him seem a bit older, his eyes usually aloof when not talking to her.

She gently unwrapped the arms around her waist and Black Mist whined sleepily, reaching for her. Ami smiled lightly before reaching behind her for something to substitute. She felt something solid and slipped it into Black Mists' arms without a thought. But once she saw what she gave him, she froze. A small brown teddy bear was now in Black Mists' arms. She wanted to take it back, put it on the high shelf it dwelled upon. Tears filled her eyes at the sight of the teddy bear, old memories that she hopelessly did not want to remember flashed through her mind.

"_Big sister!" _

Wiping at her eyes, she walked to the bathroom, ready to take on another day. Unbeknownst to her, concerned mismatched eyes stared at her back, confusion also on their features.

* * *

Walking inside of the school doors, Ami looked at Black Mist in puzzlement. He had seemed on edge ever since they got close to the school. "What's wrong, Black Mist?"

Black Mists' eyes narrowed as he stared down one of the hallways. "…Be on lookout, Ami," Black Mist warned.

Ami stared at him, perplexed. Lookout? For what exactly? Nonetheless, Ami agreed, "All right. Tell me what it is later though." Black Mist continued to look suspicious of something and Ami continued to class.

'_There's a number but I can't pinpoint the exact location,' _Black Mist floated one step behind Ami, giving him the ability to protect her while keeping an eye on the surrounding area. When Ami was in class, he would investigate.

Once in the classroom, Black Mist glanced behind him every once in a while. A number card in 'school' will cause trouble for Ami. Feeling oddly protective of the girl, he unconsciously wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind.

"Black Mist, I can't move."

Not hearing Ami, he continued to stare at the door.

Ami looked back at him and saw him still on alert mode. What could make Black Mist so on edge? _'I mean, there's nothing that could hurt him. Unless it was a number-' _She tried pulling herself out of Black Mists' grip to talk to him face-to-face but he just held on tighter. Too tight. She yelped, "Ow!"

Black Mist suddenly let go of Ami, eyes swerving to look at her and see if she was hurt. Luckily, none of her classmates seemed to notice…except Toby and Kyoko.

"Ah, Ami, you okay?" Kyoko asked, concern flashing in her eyes. She walked over to where Ami was, Toby right beside her.

"Mhm, what happened?" Toby questioned as well.

Ami laughed, and while it seemed sincere, Black Mist could see right through it, "Nothing's wrong, guys." She smiled wryly, "Someone's grip is stronger than they think."

Black Mists' cheeks felt warm as he felt embarrassed. Kyoko and Toby looked at each other before looking at Ami in confusion. "What?" they said in unison.

"It's nothing," Ami said, a laugh in her voice. Their teacher came in and they were all forced to sit down at their desks.

"Sorry, Ami…" Black Mist apologized, looking away in slight embarrassment. Ami just smiled at him.

She looked at the empty chair beside her and frowned. Ryoga-kun wasn't coming today either? Oh well…

"I need to go seek out something," Black Mist spoke as he looked behind him.

"A number?" Ami asked while the class settled down.

Black Mist tensed before nodding. After class started, he floated out of the room, ready to begin his search.

* * *

**Lunch time!**

While sitting under a sakura tree, Ami stayed a bit alert. She wasn't sure where Black Mist was and felt a little bit vulnerable.

"AMI!"

Ami blinked and turned to her purple-haired friend, "Yeah?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes!" Kyoko shouted irritably.

"Sorry," Ami said, looking to her lunch. She had ate very little of it because she was wondering about the whereabouts of Black Mist and the number he sensed.

"Grrr, anyway, have you heard the rumors?!"

Ami looked up at Kyoko, "Yeah, you already told me about Ryoga-kun losing-"

"Not that one!" She shouted at her.

"Guys!" Both girls looked up to see Toby running towards them.

"We're girls, Toby," Kyoko pointed out jokingly.

Ami blinked though. Behind Toby was Black Mist. He floated over to Ami and sat down beside her, looking angry.

"What's wrong?" Ami asked, perplexed.

Black Mist crossed his arms, "You know how I sensed a number? Well, I can't find the exact location. And then I sensed a second one, a different one!"

More than one numbers…? Ami stared, surprised. "And it's more than that!" Black Mist frowned, "The first number I sensed, I can't sense it anymore. I can only sense the second one now! For there to be more than one numbers here…It's only a matter of time before they sense me!"

"You can't sense the first one anymore?" Ami looked down._ 'If there were two number presences and Black Mist can no longer feel the first one…' _"Is it possible that they dueled each other and the winner took the loser's number?" Ami suggested.

"I don't think so," Black Mist said. "I would have undoubtedly sensed a number duel."

Kyoko and Toby looked at each other. Ami was acting strange…Toby leaned over, "Is Ami-chan okay?" he asked.

Kyoko looked at her friend, "I'm not sure. She's been talking to herself since yesterday…"

Toby looked to Ami and saw her look really anxious about something. Was Ami hiding something from them? "Ami-chan, have you heard the rumors about the ghost?" he asked.

Ami turned away from Black Mist to look at Toby in confusion, "Ghost…?"

"HEY!" Kyoko shouted, "I WANTED TO TELL HER!"

"Why is this human so loud?" Black Mist asked, not really expecting a response. But then he looked at Toby, "A ghost?"

Of course, Toby did not hear him so Ami asked, "What rumor?"

Kyoko explained, "Well, there's a rumor that the old gym is haunted! Some of the students that were doing art projects in there heard a very creepy voice moaning, and the lights were flickering on and off!"

"…Toby, can you confirm this?" Ami quizzed, not believing Kyoko completely.

"You don't believe me?!" Kyoko squawked.

Ami snorted, "What about that time you thought Ryoga-kun was a merman?"

Kyoko blushed, "Well, he had a water-type deck! And his really hot hairstyle looks like tentacles!"

"And that means he's a merman?" Toby asked, laughter evident in his voice.

Kyoko's blush darkened, "Well, he never comes to swim class!"

"He doesn't go to most classes!" Ami pointed out, giggling at her friend. She stopped once she felt the constant pulling on her uniform skirt. She turned to face Black Mist, who was wearing a very confused and irritated expression. Ami laughed nervously before explaining, "A merman is a male version of a mermaid. They have the head and chest of a man and the tail of a fish. The myth is that they can turn fully human outside of water but once they touch it, they turn back into their normal form."

Black Mist nodded at the piece of information. But then he blinked. "The information Kyoko had on Ryoga did not seem plausible enough to guess that he was a merman."

Kyoko stared at Ami with her lips pursed in concentration. "…Do you think Ami's seeing ghosts?" Kyoko whispered to Toby. Ami was talking to the air again!

"Were you not listening to our conversation a second ago?" Toby whispered back. "You always jump to conclusions! Shark wasn't a merman and I'm pretty sure Ami-chan can't see ghosts!"

"You don't know that!" Kyoko said fiercely.

Toby sighed and looked back at his secret crush, "Ami-chan, I can prove the ghost rumor to some extent. I was there when it was happening."

Ami looked at Toby excruciatingly before nodding, "Well, it might not actually be a ghost though."

"I know but it was so weird…" Toby said, voice fading in nervousness.

"That's why I have a plan!" Kyoko stood up, confidence brimming in her eyes.

They all looked to Kyoko. Black Mist just stared at her blankly while the other two said in unison, "I don't want to be a part of it."

Kyoko anime fell. She then stood back up, a pout on her face, "WHY?!"

Even though Black Mist just met this human yesterday, he was able to read her character. To put it nicely, she was 'pure'. To put it badly…

A moron.

Ami looked at Kyoko, rolling her eyes at the stupid question. "Remember your other plan? 'Mission: Expose Ryoga-sama As The Merman He Is'?"

Kyoko sulked as she looked at the ground. "Ryoga-sama was so mad at me…"

"I'm so glad I said no," Toby laughed.

"What happened?" Black Mist asked, wanting to know.

Ami grinned at the memory. "Water transforms the human back into a merman, right?"

Black Mist nodded his understanding.

Laughing to herself, she continued, "Kyoko thought it was a _genius _idea to get the huge hose over there," she looked over at the gigantic school hose, "And spray Ryoga-kun! He was soooooo pissed at her. If I hadn't stepped in…"

Kyoko gave Toby a shifty look, "See?!" What if Ami did see ghosts?!

Toby shrugged and tried not to believe Kyoko. There's no way Ami-chan was able to see ghosts…right?

Ami looked to Kyoko, "Anyway, what's your plan?" She may not have wanted to join in but she was a bit curious what was going on in the weird workings of Kyoko's strange mind.

Kyoko brightened, "If I tell you, will you please join me?"

Ami was about to shake her head before seeing Kyoko's puppy dog eyes. She wanted to look away but couldn't. Kyoko's eyes widened, tears brimming in them, "Please…?"

Ami broke. "Fine…" she said begrudgingly.

At seeing this, Toby chirped up, "I'll come as well!"

Kyoko grinned. "At nighttime, let's sneak into the old gym and see if the rumors are true!"

* * *

Ami waited patiently at her house. That's where the others decided to meet up to go to the gym since hers was closest to the school.

Black Mist floated in front of her, "Your friend is very…hyper."

Ami sighed, "Yeah but you get used to her." How did she get herself into this? At directly midnight, the time when their parents were asleep, they would all meet up here and go to school together. She fell back on her couch, "I'm just glad tomorrow is Sunday."

"What about it?"

"There's no school tomorrow."

"Ami…tomorrow we should go number hunting then."

Ami turned to Black Mist before nodding, "All right." Ami heard the doorbell ring and walked to the door. Opening it, she was faced with both Toby and Kyoko. Ami reached over and grabbed her sweater, "Okay, let's go."

Black Mist followed and Ami closed the door, locking it. Her mother wasn't home because she had a business meeting out of town.

Once the neared the school, Black Mist felt an aura. _'Damn it…'_ Black Mist tensed, looking around with narrowed eyes. Ami, noticing this, grabbed onto Black Mists' hand. Black Mist felt a bit better at the small warmth but was on alert.

They stopped once they reached the old gym. Kyoko tried pulling the doors opened but failed, "Wah! I forgot there were locks!"

Toby sweat dropped, "Of course there's locks. That's how they keep people like you out."

Kyoko pouted, "But we need to go see if the rumors are true!"

Black Mist stared at the lock before kneeling before it, taking the object into his hand. He used his other hand and he transformed it into a key shape. Ami's eyes widened at the feat. Black Mist stuck his tongue out in concentration as he moved his arm into the lock. Turning his arm lightly, the lock clicked opened.

At hearing the sound, Kyoko and Toby both looked to it. They blinked in surprise. Toby turned to Ami, "Ami, did you open it?"

Before Ami could give an excuse, Kyoko screeched, "THERE'S A GHOST! IT KNEW WE WERE HERE!"

Ami sweat dropped. Black Mist laughed, "Humor her, Ami."

Ami shrugged, "Yeah, I guess it did know."

Kyoko was bursting with excitement, "Let's go in!" Kyoko, being the random person she is, kicked the door open.

"That's Kyoko," Toby said dryly.

They all walked in and the doors slammed shut behind them. There were no lights on and the friends couldn't even see each other.

"…Do any of you guys have a flashlight?" Ami asked.

"No," Kyoko said, sounding sheepish.

Something suddenly grabbed Ami's wrist. Ami almost screamed but then she heard the voice. "Ami, something's here." Black Mists' voice sounded really tense.

Black Mist could feel it now. The aura was right in front of them. "Stay behind me," Black Mist ordered and Ami complied.

Kyoko turned on her D-Gazer for a light source. "I'm gonna turn on the lights," she hummed as she went to the switches and she flicked them all on. The whole gym was instantly illuminated and everyone gasped.

Right in front of them was a girl. She looked up and her eyes seemed glazed over. She had indigo-colored and dark brown eyes.

"Sierra-san…?" Kyoko tilted her head, "What are you doing here?"

Sierra was a girl in their grade who was into the supernatural. It wasn't a big surprise she would be here but Black Mists' behavior showed Ami that something wasn't right.

"That is the second number I sensed!" Black Mist shouted.

Numbers…Black Mist needed to collect those and being his partner, Ami was going to help him.

Sierra stared at them one at a time, not answering Kyoko's question. Once her eyes landed on Ami, she grinned wickedly, "You. You have one."

Ami moved from her position behind Black Mist and stepped forward, "So do you, no?"

Sierra lifted her left hand and a mark appeared on it. It had the number 5.

"What is that?!"

Ami ignored her friends' voices. No.5, huh?

"Sierra-san, what are you doing?!"

Ami reached up and unbuttoned two of the tops buttons of her shirt. Her own No.96 mark was shown as well.

"Ami, allow me to aid you in this duel," Black Mist spoke, taking his place beside Ami.

"I would be honored," Ami said, her cold mask concealing most emotions. She swiftly and gracefully attached all of her dueling equipment.

Sierra did the same, a purple aura suddenly covering her entire body.

Toby and Kyoko watched Ami in confusion. Why were they suddenly dueling? Nonetheless, they put on their D-Gazers.

Ami and Sierra met each other's gaze, one cold, one wicked.

**A/R Vision Link Established.**

"Duel!"

* * *

**Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm really feeling this story now. If you have any questions about this, tell me. Oh, and I totally made up No.5. I just needed a number. So, if I use numbers that are already used in the anime, just ignore it. ****Next Chapter: Ami's first number duel. **


	7. Ghost Goddess

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal!**

**All bold cards are ones I created.**

* * *

"Duel!"

Drawing five cards each, Ami carefully considered her options. Nodding, she looked to Sierra, "I'll go first!"

Sierra just kept her wicked and possessed grin on her face in silence.

Ami continued without a thought, "My turn, draw!" With a brief look at her hand, and a second to let Black Mist see it, she picked a card and set it in defense mode, "I set a monster in face down defense position! I place one card face down and end my turn!"

Black Mist remained silent, showing he had no problem with Ami's moves.

"Rather bland," Sierra mocked but Ami showed no signs of irritation. Sierra continued, "My turn, draw!"

Ami saw Sierra falter a little bit but it was for only a second. _'A bad draw, huh?' _Ami thought. To be able to read expressions, and see _through _them, was an ability Ami had learned.

The possessed girl smirked, "I end my turn."

Black Mist narrowed his eyes, "With nothing?"

Kyoko and Toby, while confused at the duel and the weird marks on the two girls, were even more confused at Sierra's move, or lack of.

"Why would she leave her field open?" Kyoko asked with a tilted head.

"Maybe she has a weird monster in her hand that has an ability that can activate off field," Toby suggested, knowing he himself had such a card.

"Don't let her smirk fool you."

They turned to Ami, who looked unworried. Though, when she was dueling, it was hard to know what she was thinking. "She's trying to make me fear the unknown, something that could harm me or help me. It's a defense mechanism. A bluff."

"Hm, you seem confident," Sierra snorted, "If you think you can win, you have another thing coming."

"My turn, draw!" Ami announced. Black Mist leaned slightly over her to see the card she drew.

"It'd be best to attack her now but use caution," Black Mist advised.

"You read my mind," Ami smirked and slapped a card onto her D-Pad. "I summon **Black Beauty – Knight**!"

A knight clad in leather armor appeared, a sword on his hip. Instead of the previous female monsters Black Mist saw, this one was a male (Atk: 1600-Lvl: 4).

Ami took a glance at Black Mist and he nodded.

"Black Beauty – Knight, attack Sierra directly!" Ami ordered. With a cry, the knight unsheathed his sword and ran at Sierra. Swinging his arm, he plunged the intangible sword into her chest.

Sierra shouted out as she fell backwards, taking battle damage without a fight.

**Ami: 4000LPS**

**Sierra: 2400LPS**

"Yeah!" Kyoko cheered, "Nice move, Ami!"

"You took almost half her life points!" Toby added as well.

"I end my-"

"Ami, put that card down," Black Mist interrupted.

Ami stared at him before saying, "Please."

Black Mist tilted his head in confusion.

"Say please or I'm not going to do it."

Black Mist sweat dropped in affectionate exasperation. Surely Ami was just joking…right? However, with one look at said-girl's face, he saw she wasn't. He sighed, "Please?"

Ami's lips twitched into an amused smile. "You actually did it," she laughed as she took the card and slipped it into the slot. "I end my turn with this face down!"

Black Mist huffed at being tricked. Such a silly action in a _number duel_was not appropriate.

Sierra drew a card fiercely, "My turn, draw!" She instantly played a card, "I summon **Ghost Mirror **in attack position!"

A slightly transparent man (ghost) appeared holding a small, round mirror appeared (Atk: 0-Lvl: 4).

"Eh?!" shouted Kyoko in shock, "There's no attack points!"

Slightly annoyed, Black Mist muttered, "Thank you for pointing out the obvious."

Ami patted Black Mist on the arm in amused comfort. She knew Kyoko was a bit…noisy and she took some taking used to.

"Ghost Mirror's effect activates," Sierra declared. "If my opponent has a monster with the same level as Ghost Mirror, Ghost Mirror can copy its' attack points and remove that monster from play."

Ami clicked her tongue in annoyance as Sierra's monster held up its mirror. In the reflection was Black Beauty – Knight. Ghost Mirrors' attack points raised (Atk: 1600). Ami's knight disappeared, removed from play.

Sierra smirked, "Now, Ghost Mirror, attack her set monster!" The monster obeyed and held its mirror out. It chanted a small phrase and his eyes glowed brightly. A beam shot out of the mirror, targeting Ami.

Ami's monster flipped over, revealing itself. "**Black Beauty – Seer**!" Ami proclaimed. A man appeared on the card sitting, knees tucked underneath him. He wore flowing purple robes and he had all-seeing green eyes (Def: 500-Lvl: 2).

"His effect activates!" Ami shouted, "If he is attacked, his effect allows you to draw one card. I have to guess whether it is a monster, spell, or trap card. If I guess right, the attack is cancelled. If I guess wrong, the attack proceeds."

Sierra smirked and drew a card. Ami stared at it, thinking of the best answer.

"Do trap card! It's always a trap card!" shouted Kyoko confidently.

Ami sweat dropped. Black Mist just sighed. Ami turned to him, "Hey, you pick."

Black Mist picked one, "Spell card."

Ami nodded, "Spell card!"

Sierra rolled her eyes, "Lucky guess." Ghost Mirror moved back to his spot on the field.

Toby sighed in relief. "Ghost Mirror…" He blinked, "Speaking of ghosts, I'm still pretty confused about the ghost rumor."

Kyoko agreed, "Yeah, what's that all about, Sierra-san?"

Black Mist growled lowly, "Do they not understand this is a number duel? Could they not wait until after to ask questions?" The faster they won this duel and collected the number, the faster Ami would be safe.

Sierra cackled loudly, "Oh, there _is_ a ghost."

Ami stared at her, "There is?" she asked distrustfully.

"Of course," Sierra looked to her hand, "Would you like to meet her?"

Before Ami could reply, Sierra activated a card. "Spell card, **Two-for-one Deal**! With this, one Xyz material counts as two."

"Xyz summon!" Black Mist shouted, "She's summoning the number!"

Ghost Mirror suddenly had a duplicate on the field with it. Sierra threw her hand out, "I overlay level 4 Ghost Mirror and two-for-one deal! With these, I create the overlay network!"

An overlay network formed and Ami could see Sierra's number mark glowing brightly in response.

"Come forth, **No.5 Ghost Goddess**!"

A pale, slightly transparent lady with overlay units orbiting her appeared. She wore a tattered, short, white dress and small black white shoes. She had dull, blank, grey eyes and pure white, long hair. Her number was on her left cheek (Atk: 2400-Rank: 4). She was really a ghost goddess.

"Numbers…?" Toby breathed, "Are those cards new or something?"

"It's a ghost," Kyoko blinked.

"She's a number," Ami corrected.

"I was hoping for us to summon me first," Black mist noted, studying the number. "Either way though, we need to summon me on our turn."

"About that…" Ami said nervously.

Black Mist turned to her, "What is it?" he asked, puzzled at her suspicious tone.

"Well…" Ami looked away from Black Mist. "I only have _**two**_ level 2 monsters in my entire deck…"

To summon No.96 Black Mist, you needed **three** level 2 monsters (Dark-attribute). Black Mist twitched, "You only have two level 2 monsters…"

Sierra interrupted, "With this monster, I end my turn!"

Ami, thankful for a disruption, drew a card, "My turn, draw!" She didn't get the card she wanted. Not letting it show on her face, she took a card and put it on the D-Pad. "I set one monster in defense position. End turn."

Black Mist stared at her, not understanding what she was doing.

Sierra smirked, "Aw, just like that?" She drew, "My turn, draw!" She didn't see any need to do anything and just commanded harshly, "No.5, attack Black Beauty – Seer! Ghost Ray!"

Ghost Goddess raised her hands and a black beam shot out from them. It hit Black Beauty – Seer.

Ami could do nothing as that monster was destroyed. When Ami looked at Ghost Goddess, their eyes met. Cold and unfeeling eyes looked deeply at Ami before flying back to her spot on the field.

"Ami?" Black Mist called, looking at her strangely.

Ami was shocked but it did not show. _'She looks…pained…'_

"I use one overlay unit to activate Ghost Goddess' effect!" Sierra declared. "Using one overlay unit, if Ghost Goddess attacks a defense position monster, the difference in attack points and defense points is dealt to you! Wailing Scream!"

Ghost Goddess closed her eyes and her mouth opened in an agonized scream. Ami's eyes widened at the anguish in the monsters' voice before she was thrown backwards.

**Ami: 2100LPS**

**Sierra: 2400LPS**

"Ami!" Toby shouted worriedly.

"You okay?" Kyoko asked.

Ami sat up and nodded, "I'm fine." _'Shit, already a bit of damage.'_

"I activate a trap!"

Ami looked to Black Mist. He was holding his arm out like he was the one dueling. Ami rolled her eyes, "I'm dueling, Black Mist."

"You're taking too long. If you want to just sit on the ground, you can."

Ami stared before smiling. She flipped onto her feet and repeated Black Mist, "I activate a trap!" The card flipped up. It was the one Black Mist had asked to put down. "If I take more than one thousand points of damage from battle, I can gain one thousand life points. The cost is that you get to attack once more."

**Ami: 3100LPS**

**Sierra: 2400LPS**

Ami smirked, loving the feeling of getting lost life points back.

Sierra nodded, "I attack your other set card! Ghost Ray!"

Ghost Goddess shot another beam and the card flipped up to reveal itself. "**Black Beauty – Summoner** (Def: 1600-Lvl: 4)!"

Sierra paused, wondering if she should use No.5's effect. _'Nah. I'll use it next turn, I'll be sure to finish the duel then.'_

Ami watched sadly as her Summoner was sent to the graveyard. Once more, Ghost Goddess flew back to her original spot.

"I'll end my turn with this," Sierra ended.

"This girl does not like setting trap or spell cards," Black Mist noticed.

"It's better for us then," Ami spoke as she put her hand on her deck. _'I just need that card…_'

"Ami, we need to win this turn or we'll lose to this number. When that happens, I'll be given to them, one way or another."

Ami glanced at him.

Black Mist stared at Sierra blankly, "And to be honest, I'd rather stay with you for now. I believe we need this card, you'd better draw well."

"Thanks for the pressure," Ami said sarcastically.

"You're very welcome."

Ami sighed, "No, it's sarcasm. It's fake appreciation. I'm making fun of you." She just decided to get to the point.

"…So you were mocking me."

Ami smiled at him tiredly, "It's just a joke. Don't take it seriously."

Black Mist nodded slowly, assuring himself Ami was just being lighthearted. "So…you do not like pressure?" he asked, momentarily fascinated by Ami again.

"No, it's hard to duel with it," Ami answered honestly.

"Observation #5: Putting pressure on someone is very regretting."

Ami looked at Black Mist, "Don't worry about- wait. How did you get to number 5…?"

Black Mist smirked at his partner's cleverness, "It was a test. That was actually Observation **#4**. True Observation #5: My partner is very observant."

Ami smiled, "Is that so?" she said, flattered.

"Ami, stop being wrapped up in your own world!" Kyoko shouted.

Ami blinked, looking to her.

"Come on, hurry up and draw!" Kyoko yelled impatiently.

"Great…more pressure…" Ami mumbled. She put her hand on her deck. Her hand was shaking though. _'Damn it…I should be able to draw!'_

Black Mist watched her. "How does one…take away pressure?" Black Mist inquired.

Before Ami could answer, Toby cheered, "Ami! You can win!"

"Yeah, I'm sorta tired but I know you're going to win soon," Kyoko said as well.

Ami smiled lightly, stress coming off.

Black Mist blinked. _'So, simple cheering and praising helps…'_ Black Mist patted Ami on the head, like he had seen a teacher do to a student.

Ami looked to Black Mist, confused at the motion. Black Mist had patted her on the head…? A little harshly but nonetheless, he did.

"Something as simple as drawing a card isn't hard," Black Mist spoke. He smiled at her, "I believe in you."

Of course, the smile looked like a wicked grin or a smirk but Ami could see the genuine care in it. Feeling herself blush, she looked away. Smiling and feeling her confidence coming back, she drew, "My turn, draw!"

'_Observation #6: Praise is helpful when trying to lift one's spirits.' _Black Mist perceived.

Ami glanced at her card and her smile grew. _'Perfect.'_ She slapped a card onto her D-Pad, "I summon **Black Beauty – Villager**!"

A black being wearing a rather bland, brown dress appeared. Her brown hair reached her mid-back (Atk: 800-Lvl: 2).

"And using her effect, she can bring back a monster card in my graveyard. The monster is returned to the field without attack points though. This is fine with me."

Black Beauty – Villager glowed and beside her a monster appeared. "Come back here, Black Beauty – Seer!"

The seer returned (Atk: 0-Lvl: 2).

"We need three level 2 (Dark-Attribute) monsters, right?" Ami asked, though she knew the answer.

"Yes," Black Mist confirmed. He looked to the trap Ami had set on her first turn, "That is…"

Ami smirked, "I activate my trap card, **Spell-stealer Beauty**! If I have at least one Black Beauty monster on the field, I can take a spell card from your graveyard."

"What?!" Sierra screeched.

"I choose Two-for-one Deal!" Ami grinned as the spell card appeared. "I choose to use it on Black Beauty – Villager." The monster doubled. "I overlay my two Black Beauties and Two-for-one Deal! Now, I create the overlay network!"

A large overlay network appeared. Ami could feel her number mark radiating with warmth. Grabbing the number card from her deck-box, she kindly put it on the D-Pad.

"Come forth, the darkest brilliance, _No.96 Black Mist_!"

No.96 Black Mist appeared on the field. Ami noted that the monster looked like the one on the card. It looked like a black beast and it had giant, metal claws. Flames erupted from its chest and the number was on him. Surrounding it were overlay units (Atk: 100-Rank: 2).

"Whoa!" Kyoko gasped, "When did you get that card?"

"I've never seen Ami-chan use that before…" Toby admitted.

"Darkest brilliance?" Black Mist repeated Ami with a smirk.

Ami stuck her tongue out before asking, "So…is that you?"

"My true form," Black Mist explained. "This form you see me in right now is just my physical embodiment."

Ami nodded slowly. She looked to the beast on the field, "Let's attack." Eyes shining brightly, she commanded her monster, "No.96, attack Ghost Goddess!"

"What are you doing?!" Both Kyoko and Toby shouted.

"What an idiot," Sierra snorted.

"Effect activate!" Ami shouted just before the monster touched Ghost Goddess. "By using one overlay unit, the attack of one of my opponents' monster is halved, and that halved amount can strengthen Black Mists' attack!"

"Shadow Gain!" Black Mist declared.

No.96 Black Mists' attack rose to 1300 while Ghost Goddess' decreased to 1200. No.96 continued and destroyed the number.

"Yes!" Ami smirked.

**Ami: 3100LPS**

**Sierra: 2300LPS**

"We destroyed the number, a very crucial part of the path to victory," Black Mist mused. He nodded to Ami, "We'll win on our next turn by attacking."

"I can duel you know," Ami said amusedly. She slipped a card into a slot without Black Mist seeing it, "I put this card face down and end my turn."

"That's an awesome card, Ami," Toby complimented.

Black Mist threw his head back and laughed. Ami raised an eyebrow but didn't question him.

"Yeah!" Kyoko agreed, "Mind if I borrow it?"

"**NO!**" Ami shouted pretty loudly.

Awkward silence followed.

"Uh…sorry?" Kyoko said uneasily.

Ami just laughed nervously, "N-no, it's fine." Sure she trusted Kyoko but giving away Black Mist…She didn't really want to.

Sierra drew, "My turn, draw!" She was angry that her number was destroyed. "I summon **Ghost Partners **in attack position!"

Two twin girls appeared on the field, ghostly smiles on their face (Atk: 1800-Lvl: 4).

Sierra, blinded by her annoyance, attacked without a thought, "Attack No.96!"

Ami smirked at this and watched as the twin girls came to attack. "I detach another overlay unit! Shadow Gain!"

"Eh?!" Sierra shouted, "You can't do that!"

"I can and I will." Ghost Partners continued as their attack power was cut in half (Atk: 900). Black Mists' rose to 2200.

Ghost Partners was destroyed on impact.

**Ami: 3100LPS**

**Sierra: 1000LPS**

"And even if her attack went through, No.96 wouldn't have been destroyed," Black Mist proclaimed. "Only numbers can defeat numbers, after all."

Sierra growled, "I set a card face down and end my turn."

"Her last resort," Ami muttered. "My turn, draw!"

"Ami, let's win this."

Ami glanced at Black Mist with a smirk, "Alright." She held her hand out, "No.96 Black Mist, attack her directly!"

"Trap activate!" Sierra interfered. The card flipped up, "**Xyz protection**! If I am attacked directly with an Xyz monster, I can summon an Xyz monster and cancel the attack. Come back, No.5 Ghost Goddess!"

The cold-eyed ghost girl appeared on the field (Atk: 2400-Rank: 4). No.96 was forced to remain in his spot.

"Damn," Black Mist spat. He was hoping to defeat this girl already.

"I activate my trap card, **Postponed**!"

Black Mist whipped his head around to look at Ami, "What?"

Ami looked ahead, "Thanks to this card, if an attack is cancelled, I'm allowed to attack you directly." Ami smirked, "You lose."

"Black Mirage Whip!" Black Mist shouted. No.96 appeared in front of Sierra and slashed her.

"AHHHH!" Sierra cried out as she was thrown backwards.

**Ami: 3100LPS**

**Sierra: 0LPS**

**Ami is the winner!**

All the cards on the field disappeared except for No.5 Ghost Goddess. The monster looked up, eyes looking blankly at Ami.

"Black Mist, what do we do now?" Ami questioned, glancing at the number.

"…I suppose I could force the number to come to us," Black Mist suggested. His arms turned into tendrils as they grew slightly. Ami watched as he whipped his tendrils and they wrapped around Ghost Goddess.

Ami saw Ghost Goddess' eyes fill with fear and she was shivering slightly. "Black Mist, stop!" Ami shouted immediately and said-number let go.

"What's wrong?" Black Mist asked, tendrils turning back into his regular arms.

Ami carefully walked over to Ghost Goddess. Ghost Goddess wrapped her arms around herself and floated backwards a bit.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Ami soothed. Ghost Goddess still looked uncomfortable. _'Wait a minute…she's shivering, not out of fear, but out of being cold!'_

"Ami!" Black Mist hissed, wanting her to come back.

Ami ignored him and stopped walking once she was right in front of Ghost Goddess. Ami gently put her hand on the numbers' cheek. "You don't have to worry, Ghost Goddess," Ami whispered, "I understand."

Black Mists' eyes widened as he watched Ami hug the Ghost Goddess. His eyes then softened, "How kind of you, Ami."

"Warmth…" Ami whispered as she held Ghost Goddess, "All beings crave warmth. Even a ghost such as yourself must crave warmth." The Ghost Goddess, with tears in her eyes, tightly wrapped her arms around Ami.

"Now then," Ami spoke after a moment. She let go of Ghost Goddess and looked her in the eye, "Please let me collect you."

Seeing the warmth in her eyes, Ghost goddess nodded and closed her eyes. Her body dissolved and Ami smiled at her hand. Ghost Goddess had returned to her card form. "No. 5 Ghost Goddess…" Ami read with a smile. Her first number duel was won!

She gently put the number away into her deck-box and finally took off all of her equipment.

"Nice work, Ami," Black Mist approved.

"Thank you," Ami said, flashing him a smile.

"Oi, Ami!"

Ami blinked as an arm was put over her shoulders, "That was a cool duel," Kyoko grinned.

"You were great," Toby added as he walked over as well.

They all heard a groan and turned to Sierra. She sat up and blinked, number mark now gone, "W-what happened?" she asked, confusion on her features.

Ami and Black Mist looked to each other. _'She can't remember?'_

"You and Ami just dueled and you lost!" Kyoko said confidently. "What were you doing here in the first place, Sierra-san?"

Sierra looked to her hands, "Um…I heard about the ghost rumor and went to check it out. When I came here, I called out the ghost. It showed up in front of me and I saw some sort of number and…then I woke up here."

Black Mist then said, "Numbers possess their owners and amplify their owners' emotions."

Seeing the time on his watch, Toby gasped, "We should go home soon. It's already pretty late."

Everyone nodded and went their separate ways.

* * *

Ami yawned as she opened her front door. Locking it, she yawned once more.

"Go to sleep," Black Mist told her.

She raised her arms childishly, "Carry me~"

She blinked once she felt herself lifted off the ground. Black Mist was carrying her bridal-style and he flew up to the bedroom. He dropped her on the bed harshly but Ami knew he didn't completely understand how strong he was. Too lazy to change, she just lay down.

Black Mist lay down beside her, staring at the ceiling. Right before she fell asleep, Black Mist suddenly asked, "Can I…?

Ami looked to him. She smiled sleepily, "What is it?"

Black Mist wrapped his arms around Ami's waist. He moved lower and dug his head in Ami's stomach.

Ami let Black Mist do what he wanted. She let her eyes close, "Good night." She finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

**Finally done with the duel! Sorry it took a bit long to get up, I just can't write duels. So~ Ami's won her first number duel AND got a number. I'll hopefully get the next chapter up soon and thank you for reviewing! **


	8. Cards To Get

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal. I do own Ami though.**

* * *

Black Mist sat up and turned to look at Ami's night table. He opened her deck-box and took out a card. "Is there a reason you're being so restless?" he questioned in slight annoyance.

The card glowed in response and there was a flash of light. Now standing beside the bed was No.5 Ghost Goddess. She looked concerned, "Is there a reason Ami is here by herself?" she asked.

Black Mist placed his hands behind him and leant backward, "Her mother is out of town." He suddenly stiffened as he realized Ami wasn't beside him.

"She's in that room over there," Ghost Goddess answered his unvoiced question. She had her own question answered and decided to turn back into a card. "I do not have the energy to stay in this form for more than a few moments, so I'll take my leave." She then returned to her card state and inserted herself back into the deck-box.

Black Mist glanced at the door of the bathroom. Ami must be taking one of those 'showers' she usually took. He crossed his legs and decided to just wait for Ami to finish.

* * *

Ami walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. She was wearing a white tank top with a yellow skirt. She had decided that she and Black Mist would go out somewhere. She paused as she saw Black Mist looking through her deck.

Black Mist flipped through the cards. He looked up as he heard Ami enter the room, "We need to…" He blinked and sniffed the air. Ami watched as Black Mist stepped off the bed and floated to her. He stopped and sniffed the air once more.

"What's up with you…?" Ami tensed in surprise as Black Mist grabbed a fistful of her hair. She winced, "Too strong, Black Mist."

He loosened his grip but was still holding on. He moved the hair closer to his face and sniffed it. He then let go of it and floated back over to the bed. He picked the cards back up and looked at Ami, "Your hair smells nice."

Ami took a bit of her hair and smelled it herself, "Does it?" she asked. _'How random.' _

"It smells like…" Black Mist placed the deck into the deck-box, "I'm not sure."

"It's cherry," Ami replied. She put her towel on a chair, her hair now dry.

"Cherry?" Black Mist repeated.

"It's a fruit. It smells like," she held her hair, "this." Cherry matched her hair colour and, according to Black Mist, it smelled nice.

"I like it," Black Mist spoke and Ami walked over and took her belt. She wrapped it around herself and put her deck-box on it as well. She buckled it up and looked up at Black Mist, "Thanks, Black Mist."

"Are you ready?" Black Mist asked as Ami went to grab her purse.

"Yeah, pretty much." They both left the house and Ami paused to lock the door.

"The number duel yesterday made me think," Black Mist stated. "You only have two monster cards that can summon me when three is needed. I think we need to go and buy some more cards."

Ami nodded, "That's right. I guess I should-"

Black Mist grabbed her arm and started dragging her down the street, "Let's go." He pulled her harshly, not on purpose, but because he was not used to it.

Ami didn't mind. She looked down the street and rolled her eyes, "Black Mist, do you even know your way to the card shop?"

Black Mist stopped and Ami hit his back. She stepped backward and Black Mist glanced at her, "…Where is it?"

Ami grabbed his wrist and went the other way and smirked, "This way, for starters."

* * *

Black Mist looked at the surrounding buildings, noting them down in his head. He recognized this street as the one that had the bakery. He smiled as he smelled the fresh bread and pastries. Ami noticed this. "You really like smelling stuff, huh?"

Black Mist paused, "Not everything. Just scents that smell nice."

They both continued walking/floating. Black Mist saw a rather big, card store and started to head for it. There were students and some adults going in and out of the store. Black Mist thought that was where they were going because it seemed really popular. Well, until Ami said, "We're not going there."

He looked at her, "Why not?" he asked, head cocked to the side.

Ami smiled vaguely, "Even though that store is more popular, I like the one I go to better. That store over there doesn't have a lot of advanced or specific cards. I can't find one Black Beauty monster in that place. Mostly duelists who are not very in depth with finding cards go here."

Black Mist nodded slowly, showing he understood. He trusted Ami's opinion.

"This way." Black Mist followed Ami as she walked past the crowded card shop. They rounded a corner and went down this street. Ami stopped once they were in front of a small, quaint shop. There was a sign on the front door and Black Mist felt annoyed because he was not able to read it.

Ami realized this and read the words aloud.

_Once you buy these cards, do not think you own them. They own themselves just as you own yourself. They will be your allies, your teammates on the battlefield. They will not be pawns. They are your friends, treat them as such._

_If you do not heed this warning, do not enter this store._

Black Mist's confusion showed for a moment before understanding settled in. "I understand, respect your cards, right?"

"Bingo," Ami smirked.

Black Mist looked ahead, "I heed the warning. I can be allowed in then if I do."

"Good." Ami opened the door but someone was walking out at the same time. They hit each other's shoulders as the other walked past. "Ah, sorry," Ami apologized but then paused once she saw the familiar purple-blue hair.

Ryoga turned to look at her. They both locked gazes before Ryoga walked away. Ami rolled her eyes at the silent greeting. As she watched him walk away, she wondered where he had been since he missed two days of school. _'Sick, maybe?' _Ami thought.

Black Mist watched the exchange silently. Once he left, Black Mist questioned, "Who was that, Ami?"

Ami blinked and turned to Black Mist, "That was Ryoga-kun, the only person to ever beat me in a duel."

Black Mist nodded, making sure to remember that. "So he goes to such a shop as well."

"Mhm," Ami said, making a noise of confirmation. She went through the door, Black Mist following.

Along the walls were shelves holding many Duel Monster cards. Then there were tables and cases with cards separated by attribute. Though sort of small, the place had a small appeal to it that Black Mist couldn't understand. Maybe it was because only those who were worthy and respectful to their cards were the only ones to be in such a place.

Ami smiled at Black Mists' reaction. He looked like a kid in a candy store!

"Ankoku Ami, is that you?!"

Ami looked to the back of the shop, "Yeah, old man!" she called back.

Black Mist saw a small, old man walk over to Ami, "It's been a while since I've seen you." His blue eyes looked worn after the years and they were full of wisdom that came with age.

"Has it?" Ami laughed.

The old man nodded, a smile on his face. "Yes, it has."

Ami yelped as she felt him touch her butt. She stepped back, "Lecherous, old man." Ami rolled her eyes.

Black Mist glared at him, "Ami, get behind me! He is a threat to you!" Without waiting for an answer, he pushed Ami behind him.

"You all right, Ami?" the man asked, puzzled at the fact she moved away so quickly. It was something he always did, she was used to it.

"I'm fine," Ami looked directly at Black Mist when she said that. Ami got down to business, "I'm just looking to buy some material cards."

"You'd better still be using that Black Beauty deck," he moved to behind the counter, "One of a kind, those cards."

"Of course I still use them," She replied. "I love them too much to stop."

"That's good," he shuffled around and brought a binder out. He opened it and flipped a few pages until it was at the one he was looking for. Black Mist looked at them and saw they were Black Beauty cards. They were all in card sleeves and in perfect condition.

Ami looked over at them as well, looking to the levels of the cards. The shop owner noticed, "This is for an Xyz monster, correct?"

Ami nodded, concentrating on the cards. A level 2 monster was needed so she should get more than one.

Black Mist rested his chin on Ami's shoulder, standing behind Ami. She glanced at him, "You choose."

Black Mist pointed to a card, "This one." Then an effect of another level 2 monster caught his eye, "That one as well. It works wells with my effect."

Ami glanced at them before looking to the old man, and pointed them out. "Can I get these two?"

He nodded, "All right." He took them out with care and just passed them to Ami. "How will you treat these cards?" he asked.

Ami gave him a straight face, "As my friends." It was a question he always asked, no matter how many times you've been to this store.

"Then here."

Ami took the cards and put them in her deck-box. She took out her wallet to pay but the man interrupted her, "Before that, could I see that Xyz monster? I think I can offer you some cards to help."

Ami hesitated. She looked to Black Mist, who looked at her back. He also hesitated, "If you can trust this man," Black Mist said slowly, "then you can show him my card. I don't sense any numbers near so it's your choice."

Ami shook her head, "I do trust him but it's not my choice, it's yours. You are your own person."

Black Mist nodded, happy to be trusted. "You can."

Ami reached into her deck-box and grabbed the number card. She held it in front of her, "Here…"

The old man reached forward and took the card from Ami's hand. He stared at it, "No.96 Black Mist?" he murmured. There was something strange about this card. He looked up, about to say something when he suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong?" Ami asked, concern adorning her features. Did something happen?

"Can you…?" Ami turned to look at Black Mist. He was staring at the old man, posture straightening. "Can you see me?"

Ami's eyes widened as she looked to the old man. He was staring right at Black Mist! _'How…?! He wasn't able to see him a minute ago!'_

Surprisingly, he relaxed, "Is this…a Duel Monster Spirit?" he asked.

"Yes," Ami said, relieved. Some of his customers had duel spirits, Ami remembered. She couldn't see them but she knew they were real. _'Black Mist is technically not a duel spirit but he can pass off as one.'_

Black Mist stared. A Duel Monster Spirit? Was that like being the embodiment of a card? He would ask Ami later.

"That's strange," the old man muttered. "I was only able to see him by touching the card." He then looked to Black Mist, "Well, No.96, I think I have some cards that can help you."

* * *

Ami and Black Mist walked home from the shop. "What is a Duel Monster Spirit, Ami? And why did you say I was one?"

Ami paused and looked at him, "Well, they're the spirit of a card. Not everyone can see them, only people that they choose or people that have such a gift. And, well, though I do trust him, I don't think sharing your story is very wise."

Black Mist analyzed the situation and nodded, "I suppose you're right. And just by the touch of my card, he was able to see me." Black Mist looked away, "I wonder if that applies to anyone," he said to himself.

Ami answered anyway, "If that does happen, I'd better not take your card out in front of Kyoko or Toby. They'll both probably want to look at it themselves."

Black Mist turned to her, "You don't want to let them see me?" he asked.

Shaking her head, Ami replied, "I mean, they're my friends but…I don't know, do _you_ want them to know?"

"I suppose not." Black Mist blinked, remembering something, "You said you did not want Kyoko to borrow me when we were dueling against the girl with No.5. Do you not trust her with it?"

Ami had to think about it. "It's not that I don't trust her, I do to an extent. It's just that…" Ami blushed, "…I'm a bit selfish."

"Selfish?" Black Mist questioned. Ami changed pigmentation once more. Red meant embarrassment, right? "What is 'selfish'?"

"It's when…" Ami responded, "It's when you don't like sharing things that you only want yourself to have." Ami truly didn't want to share Black Mist. She wanted to get to know him better.

Black Mist cocked his head, "So…like how I feel about you when Toby is around?"

"Exact- wait, what?" Before the words came out of Ami's mouth, Black Mist had already started flying back to her house. "Ah, Black Mist, wait up!" Ami called as she started running after him.

He glanced at her, "I would like to make new strategies with those cards we got today. Hurry up."

Ami huffed, "That's not how you treat your friends." But Black Mist didn't hear her as he already started going off.

A figure stepped out of an alleyway, watching Ami and Black Mist disappear. "Friends don't treat each other like that," they stated to themselves. Their hand glowed and a number mark appeared.

* * *

**And I'm gonna cut it there because this chapter is a bit overdue. I hope you guys enjoyed it. The next one is coming out sooner, don't worry. Anyway, Black Mist has a theory that people that touch his card are able to see him. He's going to prove it in a few chapters or so. Thank you all for reviewing! I'm surprised that a lot of you guys actually did.**

* * *

**Next chapter: **

"**Are we friends?"**

"**Pull yourself together! I need your strength, Black Mist!"**

"**I'm sorry, Ami…"**


	9. Friends?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh Zexal. I do own Ami.**

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**I am so sorry about how late this is! I can't believe myself. I'll try to make the next chapter as soon as possible. However, I am happy about one thing. I'm a year older! August 19****th**** was my birthday and I'm so happy about that. Thank you to all my reviewers/favouriters/followers/friends. This is also around the time I started fanfiction :) **

**Please enjoy this chapter and all bold cards are created by me.**

* * *

The next morning, Black Mist woke up before Ami. He undid his arms from her and floated off the bed. He sat on the side of it, arms folded on the mattress as he watched his card-holder sleep. _'She seems more open this way. She looks less guarded, I wish she would be a little more like this.'_

Black Mist remembered when he questioned Ami about that 'teddy bear' she had.

_~Flashback~_

"_Ami, what is that?"_

_Ami looked at him, "What is what?"_

"_That," Black Mist pointed to the object in question._

"_That's a teddy bear," Ami spoke, turning her head away from Black Mist._

_Black Mist stared at Ami, "Then why did you look so sad when you gave it to me?"_

_He saw her stiffen in response. What was it so hard to answer the question?_

"…_It's nothing."_

_Black Mist could tell she was lying. "Why are you lying to me?" he accused._

"_Because it is none of your business!" Ami snapped as she turned to him angrily. "It has nothing to do with you, so stop asking!"_

"_It does have to do with me because you are my card-holder!" He retorted._

"_Stop asking! It shouldn't even matter to you!"_

_Black Mist paused. Those words sounded full of anger. Black Mist felt angry himself, how dare she?! He had tried to be civil! What was he supposed to say?! He used what he had heard on the streets, "Fuck you then!"_

_Ami fully stopped then. She stared at him before looking away. Black Mist instantly felt bad. Her eyes were full of hurt. "Sorry…Black Mist," she said softly._

_He wanted to hit himself. He didn't even know what those words meant! He shouldn't have said them to Ami, they could mean anything! Before he could speak, Ami went to lie down on her bed. "Good night," she said, leaving no room for him to speak._

_He opened his mouth before closing it. He would apologize in the morning. He didn't want to bother her more. Once he was sure she was asleep, he curled up beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist._

_~Flashback end~_

He would make sure he never said _that _word to Ami again. He had only wished to know about the teddy bear and why it had made Ami upset. He looked to the teddy bear on the shelf. What was so special about it?

He turned to Ami once more as he heard her move.

* * *

Ami opened her eyes slowly, blinking the sleep away. Once her eyes focused, she saw Black Mist staring at her. She let her barriers come up. She was still upset about him saying such hateful words to her but he didn't need to know that. He was just curious about things, she couldn't blame him. When something is new, it's natural to be curious, right?

She sat up and glanced at her clock. She stared at it in surprise. Had she really overslept?! It was already lunch time! She groaned and fell back onto her mattress, she couldn't go to school now.

"What is it?"

Ami looked at the ceiling, "It's no use going to school now. I should just stay home for the rest of the day."

They both remained in awkward silence.

"Are you…upset at me?"

Ami shook her head, "No."

"I don't hate you, you know?"

"If you're sure."

"I mean it, Ami," Black Mist bit his lip. "I was just angry. I just wanted to know about that teddy bear."

Ami sighed and finally looked at him, "It belonged to my little brother. I just miss him a lot, so please stop asking." Ami could feel her eyes watering. She stood up and ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Black Mist stared at the door before looking away. A little brother? Ami had a little brother? If that is the case, where is he now? Deciding to obey her wishes, he wouldn't bring up the topic again unless it was important.

* * *

Ami smiled at Black Mist, "Do you want to go searching for numbers? We have nothing else to do at the moment."

Black Mist couldn't believe how strange Ami was. She was able to get over her sadness in mere moments. He stared at her, "Observation #7: You are strange."

Ami anime fell. She stood up, "Why?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"We should go find numbers," he said as he ignored her question.

"Alright then…?" Ami said and they both exited the house.

* * *

After a while, they decided to take a break. Ami walked through the park, Black Mist by her side. She went to sit on one of the swings. Sighing, she let the wind blow her hair around.

Black Mist leaned on one of the swing set's poles. "I suppose we can rest for a while before going back to searching."

Ami made a noise of agreement as her swing started swaying. "We have two numbers and there are ninety-nine. So, there are ninety-seven more numbers to go."

"A rather large number," Black Mist sighed. He made a noise of irritation as he looked at the direction of the wind, "I wish it wasn't so strong. It's quite annoying."

"Really? I rather like the wind."

"Why?"

Ami moved her legs back and forth as she started swinging. "Well, it keeps me on my feet. It keeps me from thinking too long about unimportant things. Like a wakeup call, you know?"

Black Mist tilted his head as he watched Ami go a bit higher, "Well, I suppose."

"I used to wish I could fly," Ami laughed. "It's strange, but it always seemed like fun. You know, escaping reality and flying in the wind."

Ami blinked in surprise as she felt hands start to push her higher. She glanced back at Black Mist as he pushed her on the swing. She smiled, feeling like a little kid.

"Maybe I could just carry you and fly in the air later," Black Mist mused.

"I'd like that," Ami replied. She grinned happily as she went higher.

Black Mist watched his owner as her eyes filled with childlike happiness. _'Calm, cool, and collected, she's not like that at all right now. There's much more to this girl than meets the eye.'_

He froze, realizing a familiar presence. Ami glanced back at him, no longer feeling him push her. She blinked at his cool demeanor now.

"Ami," he whispered.

She swung further from him before coming back.

"There…"

Again, she swung away and back.

"Is…"

Again, the same thing happened.

"A…"

She had a feeling she knew what he was talking about.

"Number," he finished quietly.

Ami let her feelings be guarded as she carefully looked around without looking too curious.

Black Mist impatiently stopped Ami's swing. She got off and looked to him. She looked around and spotted a boy with short, brown and white hair. Their eyes met and she could instantly tell he had a number. The possessed look in his eyes, the weird vibe coming off him, it added up.

"You there!" Black Mist shouted, "We can see you! We know you have a number!"

The boy merely smirked as he walked up to them both, "Well, no beating around the bush, huh? I want your number. And you know the only way, right?"

Ami stood her ground, "A number duel, I know." Ami took out her D-Gazer and D-Pad. The boy took out his dueling equipment as well.

She threw them up into the air, "D-gazer, set! Duel disk, set!"

The boy did the same. "My name is Ichi."

"Ami," she announced. Black Mists' left eye seemed to glow a little bit before dying down.

**A/R Vision Link Established.**

"Let's duel!"

Ami drew her sixth card, "Ladies first. My turn, draw!" She smiled once she noticed it was one of her new cards. Giving Black Mist a chance to stop her if he wished, she placed a card on her D-Pad. "I summon **Black Beauty – Messenger**!"

A small, black being with short, blue hair appeared with a small letter in her hand. She waved the letter as she giggled lightly (Atk: 500-Lvl: 2).

'_That's enough for now.' _Ami brought her arm down, "I end my turn."

Ichi looked up at her before drawing, "My turn, draw!" He hummed before saying, "You know, I don't even care for numbers that much."

Ami stared in confusion. Black Mist was also puzzled, "What was that?"

Ichi looked at Black Mist, "I don't really care for a numbers' powers."

"Then why did you ask to duel?" Ami questioned.

Ichi laughed and his number mark showed on his left cheek. It was the number 14. "I feel that it is my duty to make sure people have good friends. You do not have a good friend right there. He's such a burden, no? I'll take that burden away from you."

Ami just looked at Ichi with an unreadable gaze.

"Are you talking about me?!" Black Mist shouted. He was friends with Ami…right?

Ichi snorted, "Of course I am. Do you really think you're a friend to Ami? I don't think you would know what a friend is so let me explain it to you. A friend is someone who never makes their friends cry-"

Black Mist tensed. Ami was definitely crying when she went to the bathroom that morning.

"Someone who never loses their temper at their friends-"

Again, Black Mists' eyes widened. Yesterday he had…

"Someone who never walks away from their friends-"

Yesterday, he floated off before Ami could walk with him.

"And especially someone who never forces their friends to do something they don't want to do," Ichi finished.

He was making Ami collect number cards for him…Black Mist lowered his eyes, was he really being a burden to Ami? Was he really not being a friend to her?

"Ichi, finish your turn and stop bothering Black Mist!" Ami exclaimed.

Ichi shrugged and placed a card on the field, "I summon **Fire Keeper**!"

A man with a cloak appeared with a sword. He had fire surrounding his whole form (Atk: 1400-Lvl: 3).

"Fire Keeper, attack Messenger!" Ichi ordered.

The monster went forth and struck the small being. She merely laughed as the sword went through her. Fire Keeper then returned to his side of the field.

Ami bit her lip as she fell onto her back.

**Ami: 3100LPS**

**Ichi: 4000LPS**

She stood up, "Black Beauty – Messenger's effect is that it cannot be destroyed by battle."

Ichi nodded and placed two cards face down, "End turn!"

'_Is it true?' _Black Mist thought to himself, _'I…I am not friends with Ami? I asked her to be my partner but…'_

Ami drew a card, "My turn, draw!" She looked at Black Mist to see if he was looking at her cards but she was surprised when he was merely looking at the ground. "Black Mist, what's wrong?"

"Are we friends?" He asked quietly.

Ami stared at him, "Yeah, of course." She tilted her head, _'Black Mist doesn't look like he's up to dueling. I'll duel without him for now. I have to focus on dueling.'_

Black Mist just stared blankly at the ground.

Ami looked back to Ichi, "I activate a continuous spell card, **Rejuvenated Strength**. If I draw a 'Black Beauty' monster card, I can show it to you and gain 400 life points." She played another card, "I activate _Pot of Greed_. Thanks to this, I can draw two cards."

Ami drew. She showed Ichi both her cards: **Black Beauty – Seer** and **Black Beauty – Doll**.

**Ami: 3900LPS**

**Ichi: 4000LPS**

She glanced at Black Mist and felt worried for him. She looked back to Ichi and slapped a card onto her D-Pad, "I summon **Black Beauty – Doll**!"

Rising from the ground, a cute doll showed up with shining glass eyes (Atk: 700-Lvl: 2).

The more Black Mist thought about it, the more he was convinced he was acting so horrible to Ami. He fell to his knees silently, not even paying attention to the duel. _'A friend? I thought I was one but now that I think about it…It seems I am just causing problems for Ami…' _

His inner plight went unnoticed by Ami as she looked at Ichi. "I activate her effect! Every doll has its' playmate, so I am allowed to special summon a level 4 or lower monster to the field. So, I special summon **Black Beauty – Seer **(Atk: 600-Lvl: 2)!"

Black Mist felt lower than dirt. _'How are we supposed to be partners if I can't even be a friend to her?'_

"Now I have three level 2 monsters!" Ami announced. She'd be able to summon Black Mist now. "I overlay Black Beauty – Messenger, Doll, and Seer! With these three monsters, I create the overlay network!"

An overlay network appeared as all three monsters swirled into it. Ami felt weird as her number mark felt cold. _'What the…?' _She grabbed her number card from her deck-box and brought it up to her face. Her eyes widened when she noticed the No.96 card was completely blank.

The overlay network dispersed and the monsters all fell onto their bottoms. They all looked to Ami with matching confused looks.

Ami herself was confused. She looked to Black Mist and silently gasped. He looked so…so sad! "Black Mist, what's wrong?" she asked as she knelt down in front of him.

He didn't meet her eyes. Ami bit her lip, what was wrong? She wasn't able to summon No.96 Black Mist for some reason. What was wrong with Black Mist?

"Pull yourself together!" Ami urged. "I need your strength, Black Mist!"

Black Mist barely looked at Ami before turning away. "I'm sorry, Ami…"

Confusion stained Ami's features. "What are you talking about? Is something wrong?"

He didn't answer her as he continued staring at the floor.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Ichi called from across the field. "I mean, what kind of Xyz summon was that? Were you just trying to confuse me?" Ichi questioned in irritation.

Ami turned to glare at him.

He stepped forward and pointed at the duo, "Just hand the number over now if you're not serious about this duel!"

* * *

**Ami's not able to summon Black Mist because of the state he's in! What will happen if Black Mist doesn't pull himself together?! Find out next time on He Had To Start Somewhere. **

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**Next chapter:**

"**Keepers…They're strong, aren't they?"**

"**I'll never…"**

"**Attack her directly!"**


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